Winning over the Dragon
by HyperDraconis
Summary: Natsu's to dense to understand love right? Maybe not... After a trip to the Circus, it seems that there may be a girl with their eye on our favorite dragon slayer. Will Lucy sit back an support her best friend or will her true feelings force her to act? Either way one things for sure; there's only one that can win over the dragon.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys this is my first fanfic so sorry if there's any mistakes. The stories is only going to be a few chapters long, I doubt we'll get to double digits, unless you guys really enjoys this. So anyways rate and review, and feel free to give me CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Also if you have any ideas for stories feel free to PM me and I'll be sure to give a shout out if I use your idea. **

**Obviously I don't own Fairy Tail**

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Chapter 1

It was just like any other day at the guild. Mira tended the bar where Cana sat in slump, drunk first thing in the morning. Gray had stripped again, causing Juvia to blush profusely. Gajeel sat in the corner arms crossed staring off, Levy chatting up a storm next to him. Despite his demeanor, you could tell Levy had all his attention.

"Cute." Lucy thought with a smile.

Then there was him. The one who got her into so much trouble, but was always there to safe her. The pinkette stood staring at the job board, arms crossed and with a determined posture. His blue companion floated just above him, copying the dragon slayer's pose. He wore his usual open vest and iconic scarf. Lucy found herself reminiscing over all their adventures. He'd always been there for her. She frowned thinking about how many times he got hurt for her sake. He was always passionate about his friends but still she wondered. She felt so safe around him, as if she didn't have to worry about anything in the world.

"I'm just overthinking things." She muttered shaking her head.

"Hey there Lucy!" Natsu beamed.

"Hey Natsu, any jobs for us?" Lucy said sweetly with a smile. Natsu felt a growing warmth in his chest like an unseen fire.

"Nothing that'll pay for your rent." He said slightly frustrated.

"When is your rent due?" He asked with  
concern.

"I still have a week." Lucy said while giving Happy a scratch on the head.

"The circus is town, why don't we have some fun?" Lucy suggested, clearly excited.

"Aye!" exclaimed the blue exceed.

"Well I didn't plan anything else today."

Natsu was fully on board. He always enjoyed being with her. He had to be with her. Natsu had grown very fond of Lucy, more than he could even understand. He knew that Lucy saw him as her best friend, and nothing more. Something about that didn't sit right with Natsu, but among all this confusion, one thought was always clear; he would always protect Lucy.

"That was amazing!" Lucy said with stars in her eyes.

"Ya, there was so much fire, you could've at least let me try it though." Natsu said with a slight pout.

Lucy rolled her eyes trying to hide her smile. Of course he would get excited over fire, but Lucy wasn't really expecting him to try jumping into the ring.

"They would've kicked us out if I had let you."

Natsu shrugged and continued walking with his hands behind his head. Lucy glanced over at him and blushed. Whenever he walked like that it accentuated his muscular arms and further exposed his chiseled chest and abs. 'Bad Lucy! He's your friend.' She screamed in he head while staring at the ground, hoping he wouldn't notice how red her face had gotten. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a gentle tug on her skirt. She looked over to see a blue exceed rubbing his eyes.

"Lucy I'm tired." he said sluggishly.

She scooped him up into her arms where he passed out immediately. 'Lucky bastard' Natsu thought as he watched Happy nuzzle deeper into Lucy's embrace. The dragon slayer then stopped abruptly, and turned around. Lucy watched him intrigued by his sudden change in behavior. He sniffed the air once again before turning to Lucy with a smile.

"You go on ahead I'm gonna get some fish for happy."

"Are you sure. I mean he probably won't be up till tomorrow." She said, not entirely convinced.

"But if he does he'll clean out your fridge. Don't worry I'll meet you at your place in a bit." He said flashing his signature smile.

He had a point there. Deciding she wouldn't be able to get much out of the slayer Lucy sighed and continued walking. Natsu waited until Lucy's footsteps died out before calling in authoritative manner.

"Who's there! I can smell you so theres no use in hiding!"

A slender girl came out from behind a tree laughing nervously.

"Why were followed us?" Natsu asked sternly.

"Sorry I didn't want to seem like a creep." She said while fiddling with a bracelet she was wearing.

"You followed us for 10 minutes." Nastu said crossing his arms

"Well...you see...I just wanted to talk to you." She said with a slight blush while staring at the ground.

Natsu raised an eyebrow but had decided that she meant no harm.

"Well you could've just asked at Circus." He said while dropping his arms to his side.

She gave him a puzzled look.

"How did you know I was at the circus?" She asked unable to figure out how he knew.

"You're the girl that was on trapeze right? You might not look the same but my nose doesn't lie." He said with a smirk.

She blushed again but Natsu decided she was just nervous.

"Well I need to go meet up with my friend, see ya." He said turning to walk away.

"Wait!" She yelled, grabbing his hand to stop him. Natsu sighed and gently removed her hand.

"How about I come by tomorrow? We can talked when you off okay?"

Her eyes lit up and she once again grabbed his hands.

"Really!?" She asked happier then a kid in a candy store.

"Of course!" Natsu responded with one of his signature smiles. He was completely taken aback when she wrapped her arms around his chest pulling him in a tight hug.

"Thank you!" She said with a smile that rivaled Natsus.

"N-no problem" he said blushing up a storm. She released him and turned away jogging back towards the tent.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" She yelled, waving back at him.

'She's weirder than Lucy.' Natsu thought. He waved back and started making his way towards his partners apartment.

Meanwhile at Lucy's apartment.

'What's taking him so long.' The blonde thought while impatiently tapping her pencil on her desk. She thought she'd do work on her novel while waiting for Natsu but all she could think about was him. 'What's wrong with me.' She slumped over on the desk and closed her eyes. Her mind was drawn back to the circus.

In the ring the fire dancers moved perfectly in sync with each other, completely entrancing Natsu. Seeing the look in his eyes, Lucy was preparing to stop him for the third time. Suddenly the dancers stopped and blew fire high into the air where all the spotlights focused on a single girl as she stood delicately on the tightrope. She wore a red one piece with a scale pattern that shimmered orange when the light hit it. She had headdress shaped like a dragons head with a red and orange color scheme, that greatly complemented her tan skin. But what was most stunning were her shining emerald eyes with reptilian slit pupils. She jumped off the rope gaining a gasp from the crowd. She fell about five feet before grabbing a trapeze the seemingly came out of nowhere. She put on daring and graceful performance, swinging into a multitude of flips and tricks. Lucy was pulled out her trance when she heard a shuffling next to her. She looked over to so natsu had stood up with a expression she'd never seem before. His hands gripped the rails staring intently, eyes wide and full of wonder with his jaw slightly agape. He was completely stunned with what he saw. The way she moved so naturally through the air. How her costume made it look as if she were a ball of fire as she spun and twirled effortlessly. For some reason this made Lucy feel a tightness in her chest. Of course Nastu couldn't take his eyes off the performer. She was absolutely stunning, not to mention she was dressed like a dragon. But for some reason that look in his eyes made her sad.

Lucy's thoughts were broken when she heard noise coming from the window. She turned to see none other than the pink haired dragon slayer. He smiled at her innocently despite the fact her had broke in via window again.

"Hey Luce!" he said still smiling.

"How many times do I have to tell you to use the door." She said slightly aggravated.

"Meh." Natsu shrugged closing the window behind him.

Lucy sighed and got up from her desk. She crossed her arms looking Natsu straight in eye and asked.

"What took you so long?"

He smiled nervously and looked away.

"What do you mean?" He asked innocently.

"Natsu Dragneel don't you dare try pulling that on me. You said you were going fishing but, not only were you gone for an hour, you also don't have any fish with you." She said with an increasingly frustrated tone.

Natsu rubbed his head nervously and sighed. 'What's the harm in telling her?' He thought. 'It's not like I did anything wrong.' However he was soon questioned his logic as he saw the frustration slowly growing in her face as he recalled the recent events.

"So I told her we could talk tomorrow after she's done work." He said, sweating bullets. At this point Lucy had a dark aura around her that reminded Natsu of Erza when he ruined her cake; downright terrifying. Lucy took a deep breath to regain her composure.

"So what's her name?" Lucy asked trying to hide her distaste. Natsu scratched his head and put his hand on his chin.

"Natsu..." Lucy growled

"Um... well you see... I don't actually know." He mumbled.

"WHAT!?" She yelled.

At this Natsu fell off the bed with a loud thump startling Happy from his sleep.

"What's going on?" The exceed asked rubbing his eyes.

"Lucy's getting mad at me for no reason." Natsu pouted, now sitting on the ground with his arms crossed.

"Lucy what happened?" Happy gave Lucy a questioning look. She sighed and responded.

"Natsu ditched us to spend time with one of the performers and didn't even care to ask her name." Lucy said taking a seat on the bed. Happy climbed onto her lap where she proceeded to scratch his head.

"Lucy I told you, I didn't know if they were a threat and didn't want to put you in unnecessary danger." Natsu said looking away.

Lucy was taken aback from this statement. She was so caught up in the fact that he spent time with this girl, that she didn't realize he was trying to protect her, not ditching her. Lucy sighed once again and placed her hand on Natsus cheek, turning his head to face her. He gave her a puzzled look when she took a deep breath and apologized.

"Natsu I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. Thanks again for looking out for me." She gave him a sweet smile that made Natsu blush. He turned away and rubbed the back of his head

"Don't worry about it." He said with a nervous laugh.

At that moment Lucy spoke her mind before she could stop herself.

"How about you spend the night here and I'll make you breakfast tomorrow to make up for everything."

'WHAT DID I JUST SAY!? DID I JUST ASK HIM TO STAY THE NIGHT!?'

"Really!?" Natsu perked up immediately.

"Y-ya wh-why not." She said nervously, now realizing what she had suggested. "But don't get too used to it."

"Aye sir!" He mimicked happy with a salute.

Lucy came out of her bathroom to see natsua making himself at home in her bad.

"Oh no you don't. You're sleeping on the couch." She said pointing towards the living room.

"Awe come on Luce, you're the one that asked me to stay over." He said childishly

"Ya, stay over, not sleep in MY bed." She said with a blush. It was bad enough she asked him to stay, but she wouldn't be able to take staying in the same bed. I mean sure they'd done it before, but he always snuck in while she was asleep. Getting into bed with him of her own accord had completely different implications.

"Natsu I said no. Now out of my bed or I'll Lucy kick you out the window."

He frowned but got up and moved to the couch, mumbling the whole way there. With that Lucy turned off the lights and climbed into bed and soon fell asleep.

* * *

Lucy awoke shivering in her bed. 'Why is it so cold?" Glancing over at the clock she could see it was only 12:30 am, to which she frowned. Climbing out of her bed she went to check the thermostat. 'What the hell?! It's only 10 degrees in here!' She turned on the heat and headed back to bed, grabbing an extra blanket from the closet on her way. She laid awake for what seemed like an eternity before checking the clock again. 1:00 am. She furrowed her brow in frustration. Once again she got up from her bed this time wrapping herself in a blanket. To her surprised the thermostat hadn't changed. 'But the heater should've kicked in by now.' Realizing the heater was probably broken Lucy heaed back to her bed. She curled up into a tight ball with her blankets and closed her eyes hoping for sleep. After shivering fro another half hour she finally felt herself being pulled into the sweet lull of sleep. Dreamland was calling her urging her with its fantastic pictures. That's when she saw it. Her and natsu in a tight embrace, her face graced with a genuine smile as her looked down at her looked back deep into his onyx as as he lower his head closing the distance-.

Lucy's eyes shot wide open. "What on Earthland has gotten into me." she said, face red as a tomato.

Suddenly Lucy had an idea. She got out of bed for the third time that night but this time heading towards the living room. She quietly made her way to the couch where her best friend lay. He was sprawled out with one leg over the top of the couch while the opposite arm hung just above the floor. Unsuprisingly he slept without a blanket. Lucy looked at his barely visible face and smiled. His lips were slightly parted his body almost completely still apart from the gentle rise and fall of his chest. 'He looks so peaceful, it's kinda cute.' Lucy thought. She blushed again reconsidering what she was about to do. 'He's not gonna get the wrong idea right? Of course not, I mean this is Natsu after all. He's too dense.' With herself once again convinced. She grabbed his shoulder and gave him a gentle shake.

"Natsu?" She whispered. No response.

"Hey Natsu, wake up." She said slightly louder. He shifted slightly and brushed Lucy's hand off, sending a shiver up her arm.

Lucy shook her head and decided she wasn't gonna get anywhere like this. Grabbing both of his shoulders she shook him rigorously and spoke in a rather loud voice.

"NATSU, WAKE UP!"

"Huh?" Natsu opened his eyes and saw lucy only a few inches from his face. Both of the immediately turned red though neither could tell in the darkness. Lucy instinctively took a step back and stared at the floor. Natsu rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"Hey Luce what's up? It can't be morning already." Natsu said groggily.

"It's only 1:30." She said nervously

"Why are you waking me up then." He asked.

"Well...um...you see the heaters broken.." Lucy fiddled with her hands still staring at the floor.

"Okay..." Natsu was still confused. He had always been known for destroying things, she wasn't expecting him to fix it was she?

"It's really cold and I can't sleep." She said. Hoping he'd catch on. Of course it wasn't going to be that easy.

"Sorry Luce but, I don't know how to fix a heater." Natsu said, still confused as to what she was getting at.

"I know that, I wouldn't want to risk it even if you said you did." She whisper screamed glaring daggers at him. 'Why does he have to make this so embarrassing for me!' She thought.

"I was wondering...if you would...come... sleep with me." The last part was barely above a whisper, but with his dragon slayer hearing it was clear as day to Natsu.

"Uh...s-sure." He stammered. Natsu stood up and followed Lucy silently to the bed.

* * *

**Thanks for reading the first chapter of my very first story! Once again don't for get to rate and review. Till next time, Drac out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys thanks for the positive reviews, I'm happy to hear people are enjoying so far. Anyway this is a bit of a shorter chapter, but good news is chapter 3 is mostly finished and will be out soon. Hope you enjoy!**

**Still don't own Fairy tail **

"Talking"

'Thinking"

Chapter 2

Natsu tentatively climbing into bed, moving all the way to the left side. Once he was settled Natsu looked up at Lucy waiting for her to climb into bed. Lucy was apprehensive, despite the fact that he was there upon her request. She was thankful that the darkness was hiding he bright red face.

"Lucy are you alright?" Natsu questioned, worry clearly laced his voice.

"Y-ya but...could you face the wall." She said trying to hide her embarrassment.

Natsu raised an eyebrow but chose not to question her. He rolled over now facing the wall as he felt the bed move from Lucy getting herself situated. He then closed his eyes and soon fell asleep. Lucy however did not fall asleep right away. Although slightly warmer, the gap between them was doing an annoyingly good job of keeping Natsu's heat on his side of the bed. Lucy waited until she heard soft snoring coming from behind her, then waiting slightly longer just in case. Once she was sure he was asleep she shuffled closer to him. Little by little as not to wake him until she felt their backs touch. This sent a wave of comforting warmth through Lucy. She immediately felt cozy and at ease. Having been put in such a relaxed state Lucy soon fell asleep.

* * *

As the sunny rays danced though the window Lucy snuggled deeper into her pillow in attempt to get away from the morning light. Taking a deep breath she was welcomed with the pleasant mix of cinnamon and campfire. She smiled and nuzzled into her pillow once again.

'Wait.' Lucy mind slowly awoke and with it her sense of logic.

'Cinnamon and campfire. Campfire. Oh no, I hope this isn't what I think it is...' Lucy open her eyes and confirmed her suspicions. It in fact was not a pillow she had been cuddling up to. It was Natsu's muscular chest. Lucy took a deep breath trying to keep herself calm.

'It's all right, I mean it isn't that bad right?' Lucy that took a moment to examine exactly what position she was in. Natsu was laying on his back with his left arm behind his head while his right arm draped around her, his hand resting on her waist. Lunch went bright red realizing this was exactly how a couple would wake up. Lucy took another deep breath and gently moved his arm off her. Panic rose in her when he grunted, but much to her relief he remained asleep. She slowly rolled over in attempt to get out of bed but was stopped by Natsu. Rolling onto his side he wrapped his left arm around her midsection, pulling her in close. He let out a happy sign as he nuzzled into Lucy's hair, his breathe tickling the back of her neck. Lucy felt her face heat up once again. She had to end this. Now. Grabbing Natsu's arm she rolled him over her and off the bed entirely. He let out a short cry before hitting the ground with a loud thump.

"Ouch. What the hell Lucy? What'd you do that for?" He said sitting up and rubbing his back where he had landed.

"You rolled on top of me and I couldn't breathe." The celestial mage lied. The last thing she needed was Natsu blabbing that they were cuddling.

'Cuddling!' Her face went bright red as steam escaped her ears.

"Luce are you alright?" Natsu asked, having witnessed her sudden change in demeanor.

"I fine!" She said a little to loud causing the dragon slayer to cover his ears. With that she hurried towards the bathroom.

"Wierdo." Natsu grumbled as he made his way towards the couch. He took a look around the room than raised a brow in confusion.

"Lucy where's Happy?" He asked.

"He slept on the chair." She called from the bathroom.

"We slept in a bit so I think he might have left already." She continued. Her eyes then went wide as she was struck with a realization. Happy was up first and probably saw what happened. Knowing that little blue traitor, he would go straight to the guild to get fish from Mira for this information. Lucy came out of the bathroom and rushed to the door.

"Natsu we're going. Now." She said, knowing that every second counted.

"But you promised to make breakfast." He said with a frown, not moving from his position on the couch.

"It's a little late for that. C'mon you can eat at the guild, and lunch will be on me." She said knowing he wouldn't be able to refuse. He flashed a signature grin and hopped off the couch, following the stellar mage out the door.

as they walked down the street Lucy felt more self conscious than usual. As such picked up more on the looks people were sending their way. They varied slightly but most were that of admiration or envy. Lucy wasn't sure why but this caused her to blush. Once they reached the guild hall Natsu kicked open the doors, only to be hit immediately by a flying table. He quickly turned it to ash before jumping into the already huge brawl. Lucy sighed and headed towards the bar.

"Oh hi Lucy, can I get you anything?" Mira said with a smile. Lucy searched the barmaid's face for any signs of mischief. Unable to pick out anything suspicious she decided to drop her guard. She ordered a strawberry smoothie, and the takeover mage disappeared into the back to prepare her drink. Lucy took a look around the guild but was unable to spot the blue exceed anywhere.

"Here ya go, one strawberry smoothie." Mira beamed

"Thanks Mira. Hey have you seen Happy?" Lucy asked.

"Ya he came in earlier, but he left in quite a hurry." She said while leaning on the bar.

"What do you mean?" The Celestial mage ask, rather confused.

"He went to get a fish for Carla. He said that he saw something this morning that made him more determined than ever to win her heart." Mira said with a look of wonder.

"What did he see?" Lucy asked feeling her heart pounding faster.

"Well he left before I could ask." Mira said with a shrug. Lucy let a sigh of relief that caught the barmaids attention.

"Something tells me you have an idea of what it was." Mira said with a sly grin. Lucy sighed again, and shook her head.

"No Natsu was just wondering what happened to him this morning." She said, taking a sip from her drink. Just then Natsu came over gabbing a seat next to Lucy.

"Hey Mira, could I get some food please?" He said with a big smile.

"Sure thing Natsu." The barmaid gave him a wink before walking away.

"Found out Happy's went fishing." Natsu said.

"Ya that's what Mira told me too." Lucy responded.

"Wendy said he was really going at it today, trying to get Carla's attention. Wonder what's got him so riled up." Natsu said while absentmindedly playing with fire in his hand. Mira returned with his food, to which he dug in immediately. Mira once again leaned on the bar, this time with a strange look in her eyes.

"A bunch of new missions came in this morning. Since Happy's so busy you guys should take a mission together, just the two of you." She said motioning to the request board. Lucy choked on her drink and Natsu responded with his mouth full of food resulting in an incoherent gurgle. Lucy sweat dropped at his horrible manners before answering for both of them.

"Unfortunately we can't, Natsu has plans with a girl later today." She said trying to hide her disappointment.

"HE WHAT!?" Mira yelled, gaining the attention of the whole guild. Lucy began to sweat seeing everyone's eyes were on them.

"Nothing to see here." She said waving her hands, and most of the guild returned to their business. Mira turned to Natsu with a look of curiosity.

"So what's this about meeting a girl? You got a date and didn't tell me?" She asked giving him a fake pout.

"Date? We're just gonna talk." Natsu said giving very little attention to her.

"Then why not bring Lucy?" Mira asked with a raised brow. This question caught Lucy's attention. If they were just going to talk, then why didn't he invite her to come along.

"She told me that it was just me that she wanted to talk to." 'Plus something tells me it might not go too well if I bring Lucy' he kept the last part to himself. Natsu having finished his food got up and joined the brawl again. Lucy sighed in relief before glaring at Mira. She smiled nervously before pulling Lucy in close so they could talk more privately.

"I want all the details. What's her name? What does she look like?" Mira began with determined look in her eyes. Lucy was feeling more agitated but she couldn't place why.

"I don't know, Natsu sent me home before confronting her. Either way it doesn't really concern me." The celestial mage said trying to control the feeling rising inside of her.

"Oh really? From over here it looks like you're having a hard time sharing Natsu." Mira said with a smirk.

"I'm not his babysitter why should I care what he's doing." Lucy responded.

"But what if the circus girl is after Natsu?" Mira retorted.

"Mira it's not like that, she just wanted to talk to Natsu nothing more." Lucy said although it wasn't very convincing. Mira gave her a sly grin.

"I guess any girl would want to 'talk' to him." The takeover mage teased.

"He's just going to talk with her, that's it." Lucy said, her agitation increasing.

"You seem so sure. Well why don't you have your own little 'talk' with him?" Mira said raising a brow and leaning closer.

"Mira we've been over this he's my best friend. Nothing more and nothing less. Plus he's way to dense to understand anything related to love or romance." She said feeling he chest tighten up.

"Again are you sure about that? He seems to go out of his way to make you happy. I mean he's kind, caring and loyal to a fault. Not to mention he's smoking hot." Mira elaborated.

"He's also an childish pyromaniac that's prone to destruction." Lucy added.

"I think that adds to his charm." Mira responded with a smile.

"If he's so great why don't you 'talk' to him." Lucy asked with a smug grin, thinking she'd won this discussion.

"Maybe I will. You should get a move on before I take you dragon slayer all for myself." She gave Lucy a wink before walking away. Lucy was taken aback by her statement.

'She can't be serious.' Lucy thought. She shook her head and dismissed the idea.

* * *

Lucy found herself lost in thought as she walked down the street with Natsu. Earlier she had easily dismissed the idea of Natsu feeling anything special for her. But the more she thought about it the more she started to wish she hadn't talked with Mira. Her mind was muddled with thoughts about not only Natsu but the girl he'd be meeting with tonight. Lucy had seen her at the show but she didn't have any idea what the girl really looked like out of costume. Obviously she was meant to look stunning in her costume. However the fact that her costume had been so simple, yet still managed to blow Natsu away worried her.

'Could she really be that attractive? What if Natsu really is inti her? What if he decides I'm not worth being around...'

"Yo Luce, are ya there?" The celestial mage was broken out of her thoughts by the dragon slayer, who was waving his hand in front of her face.

"Sorry what was that?" She asked.

"I wanted to know where we're going for lunch." Natsu said as they continued walking.

"Doesn't really matter, as long as it's not too expensive." They continued for a couple more minutes before Natsu stopped to look at a sign.

"How about there? They have a lunch special for two." He stated pointing toward the menu. Lucy was surprised that he was able to notice that. When it came to food Natsu was typically indiscriminate.

"Sounds like a good deal, so why not."

* * *

"Thanks for lunch Lucy!" Natsu said while rubbing his bulging stomach. Lucy regretted her decision, seeing as Natsu order half of the menu. As they walked down the street Lucy found herself once again thinking about Natsu's upcoming meeting with the mysterious girl from last night. Over lunch she had found out that it was the trapeze girl, which just made Lucy more suspicious.

"Hey Natsu, what exactly does this girl want to talk to you about?" She asked, having given in to her curiosity. He looked up at the sky in thought.

"She didn't say, maybe she recognized us and wants to talk about magic or Fairytail." He responded with a shrug.

"But then why does she just want to talk to you? I'm also a mage and part of Fairytail." She said with a slight pout. Natsu shrugged again ending the conversation.

'Is he hiding something from me?' Lucy thought. She was immediately ashamed of herself for thinking Natsu would be keeping secrets from her. However she felt the tightness from before before return, even stronger this time. Lucy stopped in her tracks and stared at the ground. Natsu also stopped, turning to face her.

"Lucy are you okay?" The slayer asked clearly concerned.

"You'd tell me if there was something going on right?" She asked quietly. Lucy could feel herself slightly shaking, unable to stop. What happened next took her completely by surprise. Natsu stepped forward and brought her into a tight embrace.

"Lucy we're partners. I would never keep a secret from you, especially if I knew it was making you sad. You have nothing to be worried about okay?" He said giving her a gentle squeeze. The tightness in Lucy's chest was replaced by a comforting warmth that so spread throughout her whole body. She nodded, not trusting her voice and hugged Natsu back. They remained like this for moment before Natsu pulled away.

"C'mon Lucy we still got some time before I have to go." He said flashing her his signature smile.

* * *

**Thanks again for reading. Next chapter will focus on Natsu and our mystery girl. Don't forget to rate and review. **

**Till next time Drac out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey so probably should've mentioned earlier but this takes place after the grand magic games. This chapter is gonna focus on Natsus rendezvous with the mystery girl and shed light on her intentions. Hope you enjoy!**

**Don't own Fairy Tail. **

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Chapter 3

Natsu waited patiently outside the tent, keeping himself entertained by listening to the sounds coming from within. Hearing the roar of the crowd, he knew the show had come to a close. Natsu waited a few more minutes before he picked up the sweet scent of lavender. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see a girl smiling at him. She was a good 4 inches shorter than him and wore a mid length black ruffle skirt. The girl had a white v neck tee shirt that hugged her curves perfectly and contrasted with her tan skin. Her hair was light brown with blonde highlights and she had it tied into a high pony tail with a green bow. Natsu's attention was focused mainly on her face. She could easily hold her own against the beautiful woman of Fairytail. But what got Natsu were her stunning emerald eyes. Beautiful emerald eyes that looked up at him full of excitement.

"Heya Natsu, I'm happy you kept your promise!" She said with a big smile.

"I never break a promise. Wait how do you know my name?" He asked.

"After the games I doubt there's a person in Fiore that doesn't know it." She said with a giggle.

"Guess you're right." He said putting his hands behind his head.

"I should properly introduce myself." She did an exaggerated curtsey before continuing.

"My name is Gabrielle Katsumi. It's a pleasure to meet you." She said with elegance and grace.

"Nice to meet you too." Natsu said, finding the formality rather uncomfortable. Gabrielle giggled again before grabbing him by the hand, taking off towards the center of town. Natsu realized this was probably how Lucy felt whenever he dragged her along behind him. Gabrielle slowed as they approached the busy street. She interlocked her fingers Natsu's and held his hand tight. This made Natsu blush a deep red, but seemed to go unnoticed by her.

"Wh-what are you doing?" He stuttered.

"It's really busy, I don't want to get lost in the crowd." She said looking at him with a slight blush. Although close and rather "intimate" situations had never really bothered Natsu he couldn't help by find himself a little embarrassed by the current scenario.

"I guess you're right." He said with a nervous smile. They continued towards a restaurant Lucy had recommended to him. As they walked down the street Natsu noticed people pointing and whispering. Natsu tried using his advanced hearing but with so many people it made it hard to make out exactly what they were saying. He caught bits and pieces like either of their names or 'famous' but the one that increased his discomfort was when he started picking up on 'couple'. Gabrielle was completely oblivious to the crowd around them with a carefree smile plastered on her face. Natsu felt a wave of relief as they reached the restaurant and got out of all the prying eyes. A bell chimed when they opened the door and a lacrima lit up with an automated message, letting them know a hostess would help them shortly. They took a seat on one of the benches, Gabrielle still holding onto Natsu's hand.

"Hey Gabrielle I think it's safe to let go now." Natsu said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh y-ya. Sorry." She stuttered and scooted away. He found her shyness rather cute.

'Wait, cute?' This thought made the dragon slayer blush for the second time in less than 10 minutes. Just then a waitress came through a set of double doors that lead to the restaurant.

"Sorry but we're all filled up for the-." The waitress stopped mid sentence, as Gabrielle peered past Natsu looking directly at her. The waitress' jaw dropped and her eyes went wide as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Natsu raised an eyebrow at the server's strange reaction.

"Is there a problem?" Gabrielle asked sweetly. The server immediately snapped out of her daze.

"N-no not at all, right this way." she said ushering them through the doors. She lead them through the restaurant towards a small staircase leading to the second floor.

"Just head up and take a seat, we'll be with you shortly." The waitress said with a huge smile. Once upstairs, Natsu realized that something was definitely off. It was a dimly lit room that only contained one table. Gabrielle took a seat and looked up at him expectantly.

"What're you waiting for, grab a seat." She insisted. Natsu hesitated, gaining a frown from the brunette.

"What's wrong?" She asked trying to conceal her rising panic.

"This all just seems kinda strange." Natsu responded. She gave him a bewildered look before looking down at the table. Natsu heard a strange noise come from her before she bursted out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Nastu asked, having his guard immediately broken. She took a deep breathe and looked at Natsu only to continue her laughing fit. After a couple of minutes she calmed down enough to speak.

"Sit down you goof." The brunette said while wiping a tear from her eye. Natsu did as she asked while she composed herself. She looked at Natsu with a small smile.

"This a just a VIP booth, most restaurants have them. As for the waitress, she was probably just surprised to see the great salamander." She said exaggerating the last part.

"Maybe.." Natsu muttered. A different waitress then came up the stairs. She looked shocked at first but quickly recovered. They ordered their drinks and the waitress gave them their menus.

"By the way, whatever you order is on the house. I'll be back in a bit." She said with a smile before heading back downstairs. Natsu was again bewildered by what was happening. Gabrielle seemed to notice and spoke up.

"Well I guess this is how they would treat two famous people if they were to come in together." She said with a sweet smile.

"What do mean?" Nastu was now more confused.

"I was a little surprised you didn't recognize my name, but then again you haven't been around for seven years. And then with the whole dragon incident, it's easy to see why you aren't fully caught up on everything." She said shifting in her seat. She looked at Natsu with a soft tinted in her cheeks and spoke.

"As you know my name is Gabrielle Katsumi, but most know me as the Great Gabrielle, master of all." She said looking embarrassed. It was Natsu's turn to laugh as he leaned over holding his gut. She turned bright red and stared down at the table. It took a moment for Natsu to catch his breathe and then he spoke.

"That's names pretty funny." He said with a huge smile.

"I didn't pick it, some guy wrote an article and the name stuck." She said still red from embarrassment. At that moment the waitress appeared, saving Gabrielle from further humiliation. The waitress took their orders and departed quickly, leaving Natsu and Gabrielle to chat. They went back and forth with some small talk, and when the food arrived Natsu decide to actually use the utensils. For some reason he didn't want to do anything that might make this girl dislike him. They ate in relative silence only exchanging a sentence occasionally. One they had finished Natsu realized they were yet to talk about the reason they were here.

"Gabrielle why did you want to talk to me in the first place?" He asked politely.

"To do just that. I just wanted to talk to you, hopefully get to know you better." She said giving him a lovely smile.

"Really? That's it?" He asked, still somewhat suspicious. Gabby propped her elbow up on the table, resting her chin in her hand. She gave him a smirk before responding.

"Well ever since I heard you were back, I've been meaning to get ahold of you." Gabby then pulled out a picture and handed it to him. He took the picture and looked at it carefully. There was a girl no more than 10 years old in the middle of stage. Her brown hair was put up in a bun atop her head, and she wore a pink one piece from wrist to ankle. She had a bright smile and was mid bow as if just finishing a big performance. He could recognize the girl, but couldn't really place where from.

"You were there at my first performance. From what I remember they hired you as a guard for the whole event. I was back stage having a huge panic attack, when you came and helped me. You told me that I'd be great, and that someday everyone in Fiore would know my name." She reached out and put her hand on top of his.

"Everything that I've accomplished was because you helped me at that performance. I was really sad when I heard that you were gone, but then you came back out of nowhere. And to find out you didn't even age. It made me think that maybe I had a chance..." she trailed off with a blush.

"A chance?" Natsu wasn't sure what she was getting at.

"T-to meet you again, a-and stuff." Gabby pulled her hand back resting in on her lap.

"Anyway thank you for everything" she gave him a beautiful smile that made his heart pound.

"Y-ya no problem." Natsu wasn't really expecting any of this.

"It's getting kinda late how about head out." He said getting up from his chair. Gabrielle frowned slightly but got up and followed him down the stairs. As they exited the restaurant Nastu noticed most of the waitresses were staring at them. Gabrielle didn't seem to mind but it was making him uncomfortable. The exited the restaurant to find that there was practically no one on the previously busy street. As they walked down the now quiet street a brisk breeze blew making Gabrielle shiver. She regretted not bringing a jacket with her. As they continued she attempted to control her shivering, to no avail. Suddenly she had an idea that made her cheeks redden. Natsu had noticed her shaking and now red face.

"Is everything okay?" He asked. She glanced up at him, only to look away. She bit her bottom lip and contemplated what she was about to do. She summoned her courage and gently grabbed his arm, hugging it to her chest. A wave of warmth flooded her body. Natsu was stunned by her behavior, yet for some reason it didn't bother him.

"Sorry I'm just really cold." Gabrielle said looking away. A smile crept onto Natsu's face.

"No worries Gabby." He said still smiling. She looked up at him in surprise. Everyone had always used her full name. But when he called her Gabby she felt as if her heart were jumping for joy.

"So-sorry. Is it okay if I call you that? I mean I won't do it if you don't want." Natsu was embarrassed he'd just called her that. They had just met, she was probably going to think he was some kind of creep.

"I don't mind. Actually I'd prefer if you called me that." She smiled and pulled his arm even closer.

"Alright Gabby, how about we get you home." Natsu gave her a toothy grin. As they continued, Natsu found himself following a familiar route towards Lucy's place.

"Hey are we going the right way?" He wasn't sure if he had just been walking there on instinct or not.

"Ya it's just up ahead." They continued for another block before stopping in front of an apartment building. Natsu raised and eyebrow. It's was less then a block away from Lucy's apartment, so if he had to guess it was probably just as expensive.

"Why do you have an apartment if you're only here for a couple weeks?" Gabby released his arm and stood right in front of him. She clasped her hands behind her back and rocked slightly on her heels.

"Well actually I plan on staying in Magnolia for a while. So hopefully we can hangout more." She smiled at him with big expectant eyes. The moonlight danced with the green making her eyes almost glow.

"Really? Sounds like fun." The dragon slayer said.

"I'll be stopping by Fairy Tail tomorrow so hopefully I see you there." She gave him a sweet smile.

"Can't wait!" Natsu gave her a thumbs up and signature grin. She giggled before rising up on her tip toes to give him a peck on the cheek. His face when red as she giggled and turned away.

"Goodnight Natsu." She gave him a wink and disappeared into the building.

"N-night." He muttered holding his cheek. A goofy smiled made it's way onto Natsu's face as he headed back towards the forest.

* * *

Gabby leaned against the door holding her chest. She had given him a kiss, even if it was just on the cheek. Gabby could feel her heart beating a mile a minute. She took a deep breath and made her way to the bathroom. She discarded her clothes and stepped into the shower, relaxing as the warm water washed over her.

'I hope he had a good time. Wait he must have. There's no way someone could fake a smile like that. And he also wants to hangout again.' Gabby smiled to herself. She had gotten his attention, and now she just had to win over the slayers heart.

'But first I need to get his friends to like me. If they don't want me around, I doubt he'll even consider me in any way.' She stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. She walked out of the bathroom and took a seat at her vanity singing to herself as she brushed her hair. Gabby put on her pajamas and flopped onto her bed letting out a happy sigh. She wrapped herself tight in the covers, trying to warm herself up. If all went well she wouldn't have to worry about being cold at night. Not if he was around.

* * *

**Once again thanks for reading. You know the drill rate and review, I love the feedback. Till next time, Drac out!**


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